Pokemon: Mystery of the PokeMan!
by Emerald Dynamo
Summary: When Ash and Friends go to Xenosha city for some downtime before the Sinnoh League, they meet a kid with surprising powers. However, he is the newest target for a secret sect of Team Galactic. Will Ash and friends be able to take down Team Galactic once and for all, or will Team Galactic's lost commander have the last laugh? rated K-plus for action violence.
1. New Places, New Faces

**(A/N: Listen, guys, this is my first Fanfiction; I'm just learning the Ropes here. Alright then, Here we go. I do not own Pokemon, Ash Ketchum, Dawn, Brock, or Pokemon Bulbasaur thru Genesect, of course. The only things I own at this point are the Mystery Kid, Guard 17, and the plotline here. Please review.)**

**Samuel: Wait! How did you know about the author's note stuff, then?**

**Me: (Sighs) I've seen more than a few fanfictions. And what are you doing here, anyway! You're not even in this story!**

**Samuel: Oh, right… Darn. Can I be in the Phineas and Ferb Fanfiction instead?**

**Me: Sure, why not. That was the original Plan, anyways.**

**Mystery Kid: Let's get on with it. I don't have much time here.**

**Me: Fine. But just because you're the protagonist doesn't mean you can boss me around. There will be a reckoning later.**

**All: Anyways, Enjoy!**

_**Chapter 1: New Places; New Faces.**_

**Omnitient POV:**

Ash, Brock, and Dawn were eagerly awaiting arrival into Xenosha City. Scheduled events included Freelance cooking contests, Pokemon battle tournaments, and Pokemon contests. Everyone was excited that they would have time to fill the week before the Sinnoh League Tournament, waiting for the rest of Ash's Pokemon to come from Professor Oak.

"I can't wait to do stuff in Xenosha city!" Ash said, excitedly. "Don't you, Pikachu?"

"Pika!" The boy's partner Pokemon responded joyfully.

Dawn and Brock smiled at Ash and Pikachu's friendly relationship.

Dawn asked, "Well, Piplup, ready for the contests?"

"Pi-iplup!" Piplup, of course, answered proudly.

Brock smiled. "Well, I'll bet the judges have never seen anyone who can cook like me…"

Meanwhile, Pikachu and Piplup were talking.

**(A/N Italicized is Pokemon Speaking, underlined+italics means that a person is thinking)**

Pikachu said, _"I'm getting that feeling again."_

Piplup said,_ "Of what?"_

Pikachu replied, _"The feeling I always get before something adventurous happens to us."_

Piplup said, _"Like that time in Alamos Town when Darkrai came?_

Pikachu answered, _"Indeed. This time, though, it seems as though there will be more danger than normal."_

Piplup asked, _"What makes you say that?"_

Pikachu said, _"I have an ominous feeling about Xenosha City."_

Piplup responded, with confidence, _"If anyone can handle it, Dawn, Ash, and Brock can!"_

Pikachu said, _"I hope you're right…"_

Ash unknowingly interrupted the Pokemon's conversation and said, "Hey, We're here!"

Dawn smiled and said, "I wonder if we'll meet anyone we know here?"

Brock sighed, then said, lovestruck, "I wonder if I meet any girls I want to know here…" The next thing the gang knew, Brock was on the ground, being dragged off by Croagunk. The gang chuckled to themselves, as this had been Brock's fate for a while, now.

"Well, Pikachu, I know what we're going to do today!" Ash said, excited. **(A/N I could not resist putting that in there…)**

Dawn replied, "Actually, Ash, It's getting late. Why don't we get some rest tonight and head out for our events in the morning?" Pikachu yawned, and Ash knew she was right.

**Ash's POV**

"Well, despite the fact It's getting late, we can still slip in a bit of training before bed, right, Pikachu?" I asked, hopefully.

"Pika!" Pikachu responded, hopefully translating to _"Of course, Ash!"_

Dawn replied, "Well, that's fine with me, as long as you get some sleep tonight… I mean, we have to be up early for our events tomorrow…"

I was confused and said, "Please, Dawn. You're starting to sound like my mom."

Brock cut in, apparently recovered, and said, "Well, Ash, you usually perform best when you get enough sleep. It's a scientific fact."

I wasn't going to argue with science, so I said, "Well, I guess that settles it. It is only the afternoon, after all. So, we're going to train a while and then hit the sack. Sound good to you guys?"

Brock and Dawn nodded in response.

Though, when we got to the gate, I wondered, _Has there always been a guard at the gate?"_

When we reached the gates into the city, the Guard said, "Passports, please."

I saw Brock looking around in the Guidebook for Xenosha City, and he said, "The guidebook didn't say anything about passports into Xenosha City…"

The Guard replied, "It's a fairly new policy. It was enacted a few months ago by security officials who were afraid of one Team Galactic wreaking havoc in our city. Luckily, the Xenosha City council found 24 guards to surround the city and protect it, if the need be. I'm Guard 17. Unless you can rightfully prove that you're not one of Team Galactic's spies, I can't let you in."

I shouted, "But Team Galactic is gone now… We and Cynthia beat them!"

Guard 17 said, "Rumors are that another Commander, one their boss, Cyrus, commissioned for a secret project, is still at large."

Dawn said changing the subject, "Well, we have a Pokedex. Doesn't that clear our names?"

Guard 17 flatly stated, "No. One time a Galactic Grunt who stole some girl's Pokédex got into the city and started trashing the place. It was only through the help of us guards, and …" She mumbled the last few words, but we got the idea they had saved the city.

Another kid came walking up to the gate. I had a feeling he looked like a few people I knew, but I easily shook it off.

"What's up, 17?" The mystery kid asked. _He acted like he owned the city._

"Well," Guard 17 said, "these kids wanted entrance into Xenosha. What do you think?"

The mystery kid looked at us and said, "I can read them. They're innocent."

Evidently satisfied by this mystery kid's word, the guard let us in.

_I have so many questions for this guy. I really don't understand why he's so confident, as if he hadn't a care in the Pokémon world! How could he "read" us? Why is he so confident? How did he know who Guard 17 was? Just who was this guy?_

**Well, I guess that's the end of the first chapter. The second should be up soon, if I ever get a chance to write it.**

**Mystery Kid: wait… you haven't introduced me, yet?**

**Me: Keep your shirt on; that's the first thing I'll do next chapter, okay?**

**Mystery Kid: Acceptable.**

**Me: Alright. If none of my other characters have any further arguments, I think we can call this a chapter.**

**All: Until next time, Review, stay tuned for the next chapter of "Pokémon: Mystery of the PokéMan!", and be sure to Pluck the Day!**

**Samuel: Wait… I thought it was "Seize the Day"?**

**Me: (Sighs) The literal translation of "Carpe Diem" is "pluck the day." Hey… what are you still doing here? Get out of here, before I write you out of my stories!**

**Samuel: *Runs away***

**Me: Well, that was almost too easy…**


	2. Waiting for Tomorrow

**Me: Well, I guess it's time for the second chapter of "Pokemon: Mystery of the PokeMan!" I'm going to start out with-**

**Mystery Kid: My introduction, right?**

**Me: Actually, I was going to start out by saying that I do not own Pokemon, Ash Ketchum, Dawn, Brock, and Pokemon Bulbasaur thru Genesect, of course.**

**Mystery Kid: Oh, Yeah…**

**Me: all I own is the Mystery Kid and the plotline.**

**Mystery Kid: Hey! I read the chapter, and My introduction isn't first! I'll get you for this!**

**Me: Anyways… enjoy. At least you don't have to listen to my characters' sarcasm…**

**Mystery Kid & Samuel: I heard that!**

_Chapter 2: Waiting for Tomorrow_

**Dawn's POV:**

Wow… That guy that walked up is actually kinda cute. Anyways, he seems to be confident. Kind of like Ash. That brings me to my next point. Who is this guy?

Ash took my question, saying, "Just who are you, anyway?"

The Mystery kid replied, "You may call me Z."

I asked in return, "Z? What kind of a name is that?"

"It's short for my real name, which I only tell my friends. Considering this is my first time meeting you guys, I believe we are not close enough for me to tell you my real name."

Brock yelled, "That's ridiculous!"

Z said, "Perhaps. However, I don't think you should make a scene here. You wouldn't want to be ejected, now would you? In any case, you should probably go to your hotel."

I said, slightly angry, "But we haven't even made reservations here yet."

Z responded calmly, saying, "Reservations are made for each V.I.P. Guest at Xenosha's finest hotel. Considering you were in my company when you walked in, I would say you are V.I.P.s here. "

"Wait, just who are you that you can make us V.I.P.s?" Ash asked, impatiently.

"It will all be revealed in due time. Until then, I will be training for the tournament tomorrow. I bid thee farewell, and good luck. Oh, and the hotel you're looking for is in the center of town. Take these and they'll treat you with respect."

The boy called Z handed us passports stamped with a Golden Insignia. Then, Z walked away.

_Again, just who was this guy?_

**Z's Point of View**

It took all the resolve I had not to tell them everything. I've misplaced my trust before, and it almost cost me my greatest friend.

Lucario's voice spoke in my head, saying, _"There's another opportunity you missed. Can't you at least try to be a social being?_

I responded, _"I can't tell them. There's too much at stake. They might be taken as captives… or turned against me… or… or…_

"_I know you're still upset about your last adventure. But you didn't know that one of them was a member of Team Galactic."_

"_I could have read his aura… or at least used my psychic powers… I just felt helpless. I couldn't stop Alana from being controlled y Team Galactic "_

"_Even if you could have stopped her, she would still have been in Team Galactic's custody. And who knows what could have happened then. At least she and her friends are safe now."_

"_But I'm not going to see them again… They always leave after Xenosha escapades…"_

"_You have to stay strong, Z. Perhaps your training would lighten your mind."_

"_I hope you're right, old friend."_

Z sent out his five Pokemon: Gallade, Porygon-Z, Heracross, Milotic, and Tropius.

_Well, It is always a joyous sight to see my five Pokemon, ready for action. Maybe today can be salvaged, after all._

_That's the spirit. Just remember that you can be friends with other humans, and not just Pokemon. _

_I guess you're right, Lucario. Perhaps I should tell them after the tournament._

_By the way, the girl, I could sense in her aura that she seemed a bit… attracted to you. And because I am a part of you, I can see the same exists in you. Perhaps there can be more than friendship this time…_

Z blushed, and started his five Pokemon as well as himself on a rigorous training routine that went on most of the afternoon.

Because the training was vigorous, Z fed his Pokemon with his signature Pokemon food dish, and then went right to sleep, waiting anxiously for the tournament tomorrow.

**Dawn's POV**

"_Well, at least we got free first class reservations. Z was right. This hotel is amazing. As soon as we flashed those Golden Insignia tickets, every staff member at the hotel started treating us with respect. It was neat, actually, how Z treated us as V.I.P. 's weird, though, Is that I feel strangely… attracted to him. Not that it's a problem; it's just that I barely know the guy. I wonder if he feels the same way I feel about him…"_

Ash interrupted my thoughts, asking, "Hey, Dawn. You okay?"

I blushed, and said, "Yeah. I'm fine. Just lost in thought; that's all."

Ash shrugged and moved on with his training. He was oblivious to my predicament. "_I'll never understand love,"_Dawn thought.

**Brock's POV**

_Alright, I've seen the symptoms of love enough to know Dawn is being afflicted by it. But who could she be in love with? Is it Ash? Is it Me? No, then she wouldn't have felt like this before we got to Xenosha. Wait… Is she actually infatuated with Z? That guy must be like the king of all prideful people! I'll never understand girls… Even when you pour your heart out to them, they never understand…_

_I guess it's getting late. Time to sleep. As V.I.P.s, we each get our own rooms. I'm probably going to sleep the longest, being that my freelance cooking contest isn't until later in the afternoon…_

_(Yawns) I just hope Dawn and Ash get enough sleep. Tomorrow is sure to be a long day…_

**Me: Yup. Chapter's over. You don't know how right you are, Brock. Tomorrow is going to be a long day…**

**Z: Wait… you didn't even tell them my real name? **

**Me: well, I only had so much time to write this. Besides, it will get better over the next few chapters.**

**Z. And no emotionally scarring backstory? You've got to be kidding me!**

**Me: Now, you're starting to sound like Doofenschmirtz. (A/N I do not own Doofenschmirtz either…)**

**Doof: Hey! I heard that!**

**Z: Anyways… Until Next time,**

**All: Review, Stay tuned for the next chapter of "Pokemon: Mystery of the PokeMan!", and be sure to Pluck the Day!**

**Doof: Wait, I thought it was "Seize the Day…"**

**Me: Here we go again…**


	3. The Crooked Man

**(A/N I added a bit more to this chapter. It seemed too short. Hope you like it)**

**Alright. Here is the third chapter. There shouldn't be much dialogue here because my other characters are on vacation.**

**Z: Not I…**

**Lawson: Nor I! Hahaha!**

**Me: Dude, I haven't even introduced you yet! But I do only own you two guys (and Andrea Clowers). I do not own, however, Team Rocket (Jessie, James, & Meowth! That's Right!), Ash, Dawn, Brock, or Pokemon Bulbasaur through Genesect, of course.**

**Lawson: Let's start the chapter now! Hahaha!**

**Me and Z: O… kay…?**

**Chapter 3: The Crooked Man.**

**Team Rocket's POV: **

"I hear Xenosha is one of the best places to steal Pokémon," Meowth said, "And, it's where the twerps are today."

"Who cares," Jessie snapped. "All I care is if they have an amazing spa there."

"How would we pay for that anyway?" James asked.

"We would simply sneak in and spend the day there." Jessie responded.

"But why would we want to do that, anyway?" James replied.

"Look here! We're going to the spa! And that's final!" Jessie yelled, ranting.

"In any case, we gotta get into the city first." Meowth said.

_But how would we do that?_ Meowth thought.

**Z's POV**

_Oh, dang It! I overslept!_ Was the first thought that came to Z as he woke up.

_I just hope I'm not too late for the tournament… _Z said. Then he looked at the clock and realized that it was three minutes before the alarm went off. _I really need to look at that before I panic... _Z lamented.

Z sighed, then got dressed and headed to the tournament, after a quick workout with his Pokémon.

**Ash's POV**

_Well, today's the tournament. Wait… registration starts in five minutes!_ Ash rushed to get dressed, as he knew that there would be many participants, because it was Xenosha's only Pokémon tournament that really counted for anything. The rest were impromptu Pokémon battles on the streets, and had a dubious reputation among the inhabitants of Xenosha.

Everyone else yawned as they had just woken up, only to find Ash running around frantically.

"What's up, Ash?" Dawn asked, unaware of the situation.

"Registration for the tournament starts in five minutes!" Ash yelled, still rushing.

"What?" Everyone else responded simultaneously, rushing to get all their clothes on.

Ash and co, after a few minutes, rushed to the registration site.

There, they found a sign that said,

"Registration closed?" Ash shouted, "No!"

"Well, you won't have to worry about that, Ash." A voice sounded from behind the trio, startling them. They saw Z behind them. "You're automatically entered into the tournament if you used that pass I gave you... And before you ask, only Ash was entered. I understand you two have other interests."

"Well, I guess that was a lucky break." Ash said, sighing with relief.

**Z's POV**

The announcer roared, "Let the seventy-fourth annual Xenosha Tournament begin!"

The crowd cheered in approval.

_This is intense!_

_I'm glad you're having fun. _Lucario said.

_Well, let's win this thing! _I thought

_Well, so much for "pride comes before a fall…"_

Z then heard a voice behind him say, "Yep! I'm going to win this tournament. Hahaha!"

He didn't know who was behind that voice; only that it sounded of pure pride.

**Omniscient POV**

The finals quickly drew near.

The semi-final matchups were as follows: Andrea Clowers vs. Z; Ash vs. Lawson.

The first semi-final match ensued. Z sent out his Porygon-Z, and Andrea sent out her Hitmonchan.

Z shouted, "Alright, Porygon-Z! Tri-Attack!"

The attack hit, and Hitmonchan was down already.

"Impressive, Z. But can you take this?" Andrea challenged.

Andrea quickly sent out her Steelix

"It's probable. Though, Steelix does look well trained. Nice work."

Andrea blushed as Z returned Porygon-Z, and sent out Heracross.

Heracross used Close Combat, and Steelix retaliated with Iron Tail. Attacks were flying everywhere. Soon, both Pokemon were exhausted. He ordered Heracross to use Close combat once more, and Andrea commanded one more Iron Tail. When the smoke cleared, both Pokemon were knocked out.

Andrea sent out Dragonite, to which Z sent out a Milotic. Milotic Used Blizzard, which did major damage to Dragonite. Dragonite retaliated with a furious Draco Meteor, which hurt Milotic. Andrea ordered another Draco Meteor, to which Z replied, "That was a mistake." Blizzard overpowered Draco Meteor, and Dragonite went down. "What? Draco Meteor was my most powerful attack! How could Blizzard overpower it?" Z replied, "Because Draco Meteor gets weaker over time. I knew when you ordered the second Draco Meteor that Blizzard would overpower it. Still, that was an epic battle! Congrats on making it this far!"

They shook hands, and the announcer said, "The winner is Z!"

The crowd roared with approval.

**Ash's POV**

_Guess I'll be facing him in the finals_. Ash thought to himself.

"Hey, you." Ash heard a voice call behond him. "I'm gonna win this thing, so don't be upset when you lose. Hahaha!"

_Man, this guy is worse than Z._ "Dream on!" I called back. "Besides, My team is so totally going to wipe you out!"

_Anyways, there would be time to trash talk later. Now, It's time to battle!_

_This should be easy and_ fun! I said.

Boy, was I wrong.

After most of the battles were through, the announcer said, "This has been a back-and-forth epic battle so far! But now, it comes down to this final matchup: Ash's Pikachu versus Lawson's Blaziken!"

"Hahaha! You don't stand a chance!" Lawson said.

"That's where you're wrong! Alright, Pikachu! Use Volt Tackle!" I said.

"Blaziken! Counter with Sky Uppercut! Hahaha!"

Both attacks collided, doing quite a bit of damage.

"I will defeat you!" Lawson suddenly paused, and said, "Hey... what's that?" Lawson said, pointing into the distance.

Everyone in the stadium looked, Including Pikachu and I, leaving Pikachu wide open.

"Flare Blitz!" He ordered, startling everyone in the stadium.

"Hahaha!" Lawson said as the attack collided, knocking Pikachu out.

"And the winner is: Lawson!" the announcer said. Lawson had a malicious smile on his face as I was eliminated from the tournament.

**Yep. That's the end of the chapter.**

**Stay tuned for more, and…**

**Z: Wait a minute! You did not just end it without us!**

**Me: alright. Let's do it together.**

**Both: Until next time, Review, Stay tuned for the next episode of "Pokemon: Mystery of the PokeMan!" and be sure to pluck the day!**


	4. An Evident Surprise, Part 1

**Okay. The next chapter is set.**

**Z: It's about time…**

**Samuel: Hey, that's a Phineas and Ferb episode title! And that reminds me… When **_**is**_** the Phineas and Ferb Fanfiction going to start, anyway? **

**Me: Quiet! We're not doing the Phineas and Ferb Fanfiction right now!**

**Samuel: But that is your next project, right?**

**Me: I'll try my best, but it might take a while.**

**Z: Well, let's start this.**

**Me: Fine... **

**All: Enjoy!**

**Chapter 4: An Evident Surprise, Part 1**

**Lawson's POV**

_Wow! That was almost too easy! Now all I have in my way is that pitiful Z.. and my Secret weapon will easily take him out! I mean, Rotom isn't even legendary; just cool, right? Hahahahaha!_

**Z's POV**

_That cheating loser! How could he pull a stunt like that! Anyways, I'll defeat him. It will be the perfect revenge._

_You know, life isn't all about revenge. _Lucario's voice echoed inside my head.

_I guess you're right. But what he did to Ash was still unjust._

_I agree. So, let's take this guy out!_

_Agreed. Let's do this!_

**Dawn's POV**

_I couldn't help but stare at Z for almost all of his battle. He's actually an amazing battler._

_He has the most beautiful blue eyes…_

_Wow. That was quite a tangent._

_Anyways, the battle's over. They shook hands; how nice._

_Wait… was Andrea… blushing?_

_No! Stay away! He's Mine…_

_Wow. Why do I do this? There I go again, jumping to conclusions…_

_Anyway, I was able to concentrate for Ash's battle. I couldn't believe that cheap trick Lawson pulled! I really hope Z beats him in the finals…_

**Ash's POV**

I never should have fallen for that. I really never should.

All of a sudden, I heard Z's voice.

"Don't worry about it, Ash. I'll beat him in the finals anyway. Go on and watch. It should be fun."

I thought, _Just don't fall for the same trick I did._

Z said, "I won't; don't worry."

I was shocked, and said, "wait… did you just read my thoughts?"

Z said, "Maybe; Maybe not. Consider the possibility that you spoke it out loud. Also consider that I may have actually read your mind. Either way, it's time to battle. See ya afterwards."

I went out to the stands, with my friends. They pitied me on my loss, but I knew that Z was going to avenge me. Somehow…

**Omnitient POV**

"Let the final battle begin!" The announcer shouted. The crowd was anxious. This was going to be epic!

"In one corner, Lawson!" there was a bit of applause, but it was drowned out by the "boo"s for the stunt he had pulled in the last battle.

"In the other, the Croooowd Favorite, Z!" And there was much rejoicing. Z was clearly the crowd favorite.

"Let the battle… begin!"

Z sad, "Alright, dude. Prepare for a severe thrashing."

Lawson said, "Yeah, right! I choose you, Salamence!"

Z replied, "Oh, it will be. Go, Milotic!"

"Milotic, use blizzard!"

"Salamence, use double-edge!"

Salamence was slowed down by the blizzard, which gave Milotic a chance.

"Alright, now use Dragon Pulse!"

Salamence was hurt by the dragon pulse, but was not down.

Z said, "Wow. That Salamence is strong. "

Lawson said, "Yes. Yes it is, Hahaha! Now use Giga Impact!"

Z said, "Oh dear. Retaliate with Blizzard."

The two attacks collided, resulting in a huge explosion.

When the dust settled, both Pokemon were out.

'Well, that's alright." Lawson said. "Now go, Aerodactyl!"

"Hmmm… interesting choice." Z remarked. "Go, Weavile."

"Aerodactyl! Use Giga Impact!"

"Weavile! Use Ice shard!"

Ice shard hit first, doing massive damage.

Then, Giga Impact walloped Weavile. They were both barely still in it.

"Weavile, another ice shard."

"Aerodactyl, Rock Tomb!"

Ice shard hit first, and Aerodactyl was down.

"Weavile, nice work. Now return, and rest yourself."

Lawson was fuming at this point. "How could you let me down, Aerodactyl! It's not fair, Now, Z, You shall face my Poliwrath!"

Z sent out Tropius.

Lawson said, "Aw, dang it! Just use Submission."

The attack would have hit, but Tropius flew away at the last second.

Lawson said, "What? No fair! Come back down here, you!"

Poliwrath continued to try to use Submission on Tropius, but it was too far up in the air.

The crowd laughed uproariously.

Z, laughing slightly, said, "Just put him of of his misery. Use Fly."

The attack hit, but Poliwrath was not down.

"Oh dear," Z remarked.

"Now, use Submission!"

Submission hit, and because Poliwrath was wearing a choice band, the attack was very powerful. Tropus, not defensively trained, was out in an instant.

"Yes! Go Poliwrath!" Lawson said. Unfortunately, because of the recoil, Poliwrath fainted a second later.

"Dang it!" Lawson said, and the crowd was roaring ever louder.

"You think you're so tough, try my Metagross on for size!"

"Z thought, _Oh, well. Guess I'll get in a quick attack with Weavile before Double-Heracrossing it."_

"Alright, I guess. Weavile! Go, once again!"

Weavile was sent out, but it was still weak from the battle before. Z estimated he had two attacks, at most, before it went out.

"Alright, Weavile; Use Night Slash!"

The attack-oriented Pokemon slammed Metagross, and the giant metallic Pokemon sustained some damage.

However, Metagross was not a Pokemon to be underestimated. "Meteor Mash!" Lawson ordered, and Weavile was knocked out by the sheer force of the attack.

"Now, the score is even." The announcer said. "Both trainers have Three Pokemon, but only one trainer will come out of this a victor. Whom will it be?"

Z commented, "Just be quiet and let me think!"

The announcer cowered in fear and said, "Sorry… I… I'll be quiet now."

"Thank you," Z said. "Now go, Heracross!"

The Fighting Pokemon faced Metagross, both formidable attackers.

"Now, Metagross, use Psychic!"

Lawson grinned, as he thought, _This attack should take Heracross out in one hit!_

However, the Bug Pokemon survived the hit, surprising Lawson. "What? How did Heracross survive?"

Z smiled, saying, "Heracross, Megahorn!"

The attack smashed into Metagross, knocking it out.

"The move _Psychic _is not a physical move, but a special move. Metagross is more of a physical Pokemon. Add to that the fact that my Heracross is Specially defensively trained. Put two and two together, and you get the fact that my Pokemon survived, and yours is down. Oh, and my Heracross has a Life Orb."

Lawson stood there, stunned. A few seconds later, he erupted in anger. "I will defeat you no matter what! Go! Blaziken! You will perish at the hands of my Blaziken!"

Z said, "We'll see. Heracross, use Aerial Ace!"

Lawson was stunned… "What in heaven's name?"

Heracross unfolded its wings, and flew at astonishing speed towards Blaziken.

"Counter with Brave Bird!"

Heracross was flying quickly, but Blaziken was somehow faster. "Choice Scarf. Just put it on before the battle," Lawson remarked afterwards.

Blaziken's attack hit Heracross at the same time Heracross's hit Blaziken. Both Pokemon were knocked back.

Heracross and Blaziken were struggling to get up. Blaziken was the first to get up. Heracross also stood…  
before falling back to the ground.

"Heracross, return. You did amazing!" Z said. "Alright; Here's where the fun begins…"

"I agree!" Lawson said. "Max Potion on Blaziken!"

"Fine. Go, Porygon-Z! Use Tri Attack!"

"I don't think so! Brave Bird! Hahaha!"

Porygon-Z's attack hit Blaziken, but not fast enough.

Porygon-Z and Blaziken were knocked back. However, Blaziken was able to attack again. The attack in question was, once again, "Brave Bird!" Which knocked down Porygon-Z.

Z said, "Well; I guess it comes down to this."

Lawson smiled wickedly and said, "Indeed! I will finally win now!"

All of a sudden, Z started to glow with a golden aura. The crowd started yelling and screaming, but Z seemed peaceful.

"What in heaven's name is happening?" Ash and co., as well as Lawson, basically asked in unison.

Z smiled to himself, and thought, _This should be easy._

**Yep. That's all I'm going to give you thus far. The Next Chapter will finish this battle, and give some of Z's Backstory.**

**Z: Finally!**

**Me: Anyways…**

**Both: Review, Stay tuned for the next chapter of "Pokemon: Mystery of the PokeMan," and be sure to Pluck the day!**


	5. An Evident Surprise, Part II

**Welcome back to Mystery of the PokeMan… Emerald Dynamo here.**

**First Review Response: **

**samurailover:Where is this fourth wall break? I cannot find it… (Forgive me if I'm missing something completely obvious…)**

**…**

**Well, since Samuel has gone over to my Phineas and Ferb fanfic… Z? do you have any comments?**

**Z: Yes. Go now. I can't believe you left the readers on a cliffhanger for that long…**

**…**

**Again, I apologize… Now, let's start this!**

**…**

**Chapter 5: An Unexpected Surprise, Part II.**

_Flashback to previous chapter:_

_Z said, "Well; I guess it comes down to this."_

_Lawson smiled wickedly and said, "Indeed! I will finally win now!"_

_All of a sudden, Z started to glow with a golden aura. The crowd started yelling and screaming, but Z seemed peaceful._

_"What in heaven's name is happening?" Ash and co., as well as Lawson, basically asked in unison._

_Z smiled to himself, and thought, _This should be easy_._

_(End Flashback)_

Everyone in the colosseum's eyes were on Z, the child they thought they knew. The golden energy surrounding Z spiraled around his arm and spun around in his hand until it formed a Poke ball that was completely colored gold, except for the black stripe around the center.

"A Poke Ball?!" everyone asked in unison. Everyone stared awkwardly at Z, clearly confused.

"I know, I know… severely anticlimactic." Z admitted. "But more on that later. Let's go! Lucius!"

Z then threw the Poke ball. However, this Poke ball did not open like any of the others trainers had used today. Instead, it started to glow. Starting softly, the glow then crescendoed into a sudden burst of light, blinding all in the colosseum except for Z, who had managed to put on a pair of red-framed sunglasses. After that, he put them in his pocket, saying, "Maybe I'll take them to Unova with me after this."

As Z mused, the rest of the audience was more occupied with what just happened. In place of the all-gold poke ball was a Shiny Lucario, whose spikes were golden and whose eyes were blazing with fury.

Blaziken and Lawson seemed intimidated by this turn of events. Z smirked, and said, "Well, well, well. The heroes of hubris; scared by a small light show. Perhaps I should do this more often."

Lawson stared daggers at Z, then recovered with a mighty laugh, saying, "My Blaziken has the clear advantage over your… Lunar Dance or whatever it is! This should be easy!"

Z's smirk suddenly turned into a scowl, and he responded, "No one. Insults my Lucario."

The referee, noticing that a fight was about to start, said, "Final Round! Begin!"

Lawson smirked, and started to say, "Blaziken! Bra-"

Before Lawson finished his command, however, Lucius had already thrown the unlucky Blaziken into the concrete wall on the side of the colosseum, denting it and knocking Blaziken out.

Ash and co., who had been watching the entire battle, finally were able to respond to the incoming events.

Brock was the first to respond, saying, "That Lucario is incredible. Even if Blaziken was already mostly worn out, it still took a lot of power to smash it into the wall with that amount of force."

Ash said, "Agreed. I'm just glad we didn't have to face that Lucario, right, Pikachu?"

Pikachu agreed with its trainer, saying, "Pika-Pi-Chu-Chu-Pi," or, _"Right. We would have little to no chance against that legendary."_

Dawn just said, "Well, it's an even one-on-one for the Championship." She then started yelling, "Let's go Z!"

The others looked at her strangely for a second until she said, "Well, he is trying to avenge you, Ash."

They couldn't argue with that logic, and looked back towards the battle scene.

Piplup, however, looked suspisciously at Lawson, saying, "Pip-pup-lup," or, _"Something tells me it's not going to be _even_." _

The referee, used to seeing these types of quick knockouts, responded, "The winners of this round are Lucius and Z."

As the space for Lawson's Blaziken was dimmed, Lawson scowled, saying, "You jerk! That was my starter Pokemon!"

Z flinched at this comment, but then regained his composure, saying, "Well, I guess we'll finish this now. Let's see your last Pokemon."

At that moment, Lawson smiled wickedly, laughing maniacally as he threw his last Poke Ball.

A ghost-like pokemon appeared, with a light orange outline of energy and "arms" made out of electricity. The ghost-creature had a reddish body, and laughed at the crowd eerily.

Z recognized it immediately, and frowned. _"I won't be able to use Bone Rush or Aura Sphere because of its type. Nice."_

Lucius then telepathically responded, _"Still, we can take this guy out easy. I mean, he's not even legendary at this point."_

Z smiled, encouraged by his partner's words, and yelled, "Alright! Let's do this!"

The referee then announced, "As a Xenosha City tradition, we change the battlefield for the final battle." Last year, it was the Volcano colosseum." Everyone groaned, remembering the intense heat and how hard it was to start the battle in the first place.

The referee continued. "However, because we had a complaint about heat exhaustion, we decided to make the battlefield a bit less… extreme." The entire audience breathed a sigh of relief.

"So, without further ado, I present to you: The Riverside Colosseum!"

The audience cheered and clapped as the battlefield changed before their eyes. On one side of the colosseum was a river, twinkling in the sunlight. The area beside the river was sandy, with several large rocks scattered around the field.

Z spoke to Lucius telepathically, saying, _"You ready, my friend?"_

The golden Aura Pokemon responded, _"Always."_

The referee continued, "Shiny Lucario vs. Shiny Rotom! Battle, begin!"

Lawson started with, "Rotom! Shadow Ball!"

Lawson's pseudo-legend charged a dark purple orb of ghost-type energy and fired the ball at its opponent.

Z smirked, and said, "Wrong move!"

He then psychocommunicated with his partner pokemon, instructing him what to do next. Lucius, following his friend's orders, used his powers to create a large bone-shaped staff, the move Bone Rush.

Lawson smirked, knowing the move would do no damage to his pokemon via its ability. Destiny, however, had other ideas, as Lucius used his bone-staff to hit the orb back at Rotom, where it exploded.

Lawson countered, "Signal Beam!"

His pokemon blasted a multicolored beam from each of its arms. The speed of the attack hit Z's Lucario backwards several feet.

Z asked, "You alright, Luke?"

The golden Pokemon nodded to its trainer, and then roared menacingly at Lawson and Rotom.

Lawson immediately said, "Alright! It's on now! Rotom, use Discharge!"

The Plasma Pokemon fired several orange tendrils of energy at its foe.

Z, knowing he was in trouble if the move hit, tried to think of what to do. Not coming up with an idea fast enough, Lucius decided to take matters into his own hands, or paws, as the case may be. He flung his bone staff at the energy, where it acted as a lightning rod, drawing all the energy onto it, giving it a powerful electrical charge. However, because if Rotom's Levitate ability, the electrified staff flew right through the ghost-and- electric type, barely missed Lawson, and dented the wall behind him as it created a small explosion.

Lawson became enraged, and said, "That could have killed me! What were you thinking? I'm really going to kill you now!"

Z and Lucius both facepalmed, with Z saying, "Like you were doing such a good job of it right then…"

Lawson's face burned red, and he said, "Alright! Time for the Ultimate Combo! Shocking Shadow Pulse!"

Z, Ash and co., and the rest of the audience looked at the Red Rotom, which glowed with electricity as it once again created the ball of shadowy energy, charging it with electricity as it formed. Then, as it fired the blast, it shot out a wave of dark energy, which further accelerated the deadly burst.

Z was able to call out, "Defense plan Terra!"

As everyone else, confused, asked questions like, "Huh?", "What is that boy thinking?", and "Just who is going to win this?" Lucius, understanding the command, used its Psychic attack to knock the ball away with one of the rocks. However, he was still nailed by the Dark Pulse, and was knocked back towards a rock. The orb that Lucius had hit away then rebounded off the wall and crashed into the rock, causing several fragments of stone to hit him, wounding the poor Lucario.

"Luke!" Z yelled, feeling the pain that had been caused to his closest friend through their telepathic rapport.

Lawson smirked, saying, "It's over. End the pitiful pokemon with a Discharge!"

Rotom stared menacingly at his opponent, which could clearly not take much more damage. It laughed maniacally as it sent several shocks of electricity at the downed Lucario.

Z frantically looked around for options. He thought, _"All I have are Dragon Pulse and Psychic… wait… Psychic! That's it!"_

Z then telepathically said, _"__Lucius! Psychically take the water from the river and blast it towards Rotom!"_

Lucius, getting Z's train of thought, used some of his reserve energy to "bend" the river's water in front of him, creating a kind of wall. Then, he fired a Dragon Pulse in the center of it, still with the psychic around it.

The force of the water, additionally empowered by the momentum of the Dragon Pulse, intercepted Rotom's Discharge attack, adding the bolts of electricity to the already fearsome attack.

Lawson, scared by the destructive blast coming his way, told his Rotom, "Dodge it! Quickly!" However, Lucius' attack hit the poor Plasma pokemon before it could move out of the way. Water, being a natural conductor of electricity, Rotom's main element, electrocuted Lawson's Rotom as the pokemon was bombarded with thousands of gallons of water. To seal the deal, the Dragon Pulse hit Rotom immediately afterwards, resulting in an explosion. When the smoke had cleared, Rotom and its maniacal trainer were defeated.

Acknowledging their victory, Lucius and Z locked arms, which in turn brought on the golden aura that had appeared when Z's Lucario first appeared, which absorbed the Aura Pokemon in a beam of energy, which spiraled around Z's arm and hit his chest, before dissipating, leaving only a faint trace of the golden aura.

Lawson, on the other hand, was completely in shock. "How could he beat my most prized Pokemon?! It's impossible!" While Lawson was still lamenting his defeat, a mechanical arm appeared out of nowhere and imprisoned the fainted Shiny Rotom in a cage.

Ash and co. yelled, "Team Rocket!" while Z only muttered, "You."

Team Rocket moved to continue their motto.

"So you've finally found us, twerps and twerpettes." said Jessie.

James continued, "Though, it's true that we've won the first of these sets."

"To protect the world from devastation!"

"To unite all peoples within our nation!"

"To denounce the evils of truth and love!"

"To extend our reach to the stars above!"

"Jessie!" said the female criminal.

"James!" called the one with purple hair.

"Team Rocket blasts off at the speed of light!"

"Surrender now or prepare to fight!"

The pokemon member of the trio then called, "Meowth! That's right!"

Then their other pokemon joined in, with cries of, "Wob-buffet!" and, "Mime, Mime!"

Ash yelled, "You can't do this, Team Rocket!"

Lawson said, "Yeah! That's just cruel!"

Everyone glared at Lawson, who only shrugged and asked, "What?"

Jessie replied, "Well, twerps, we just did."

James added, "And since this one can't put up a fight, we'll just ship this shiny little thing off to the boss."

Meowth then yelled, "And then we'll actually get respect!"

Lawson's Rotom muttered, "Ro.. Ro-Rotom," all of its former enthusiasm gone.

Meowth then stared at the Rotom, saying, "What do you mean, 'It'll never work."? It already has!"

Z looked at Team Rocket, up in their balloon, a sullen expression on his face. _"I've seen enough."_

Lucius responded, _"Agreed. I see what you're planning to do. Let's do it!"_

Z's eyes started to glow with a golden aura, and he yelled, "You can't just take a pokemon that's been in battle! That's unchivalrous, cruel, and completely unacceptable in Xenosha. Thus, I'm going to stop you now."

At that second, the evildoers' balloon stopped moving.

Jessie cried, "What happened? Our balloon stopped moving!"

James said, "Yeah! Now we can't get away!"

Z, with unmatched acrobatic skill, started running at an astonishingly fast speed, jumping on chairs, booths, and even one person's head.

The old man just yelled, "Watch where ye're steppin', wise guy!"

Z then muttered a quick, "Sorry." To the man and jumped upwards, right about to where Team Rocket's balloon was. The trio of thieves cowered in fear.

Z remarked, "Perhaps I should just let you off with a warning this time…" and instantly, a glowing golden staff appeared in front of him. First, Z threw the staff at the cage, breaking it and setting Rotom free. Then, when it came back to him, he slashed it across the balloon.

Team Rocket flew all over the place, like their namesake. They then yelled out, in unison, "Looks like Team Rocket's blasting off again!" before flying off into the sunset.

Z then landed gracefully, leaving everyone confused about what just happened. Z nodded to Ash and co. and asked, "I'm guessing you all want an explanation?"

The trio nodded. Z sighed and said, "Alright. But first, we're going to go somewhere where enemies cannot hear us. Follow me." The three of them shrugged and followed the mysterious man down the city.

A man that looked like a Team Galactic grunt, but with a different outfit, happened to be nearby, in disguise, when this incident occurred. He instantly ran outside the city walls and turned on the telecommunicator wristwatch he was given. On the screen, a dark-haired woman with glasses appeared.

She asked the grunt, "Have you located the signal, CommanderTitan?"

The man, who was now known as Commander Titan, nodded and said, "Indeed, Head Commander Luna. We have a lock on his energy signature, and are trying to figure out a way to capture him."

The woman nodded, and said, "Excellent. He will be Team Galactic's greatest weapon yet, and the beginning of a whole army of Galactic soldiers. We will take this region, and then the world. That will be all, Commander Titan. Head back to base."

Commander Titan nodded, and began sprinting back to the base camp, which was currently set up about 10 miles from Xenosha City. As he ran, he thought, _"We will have dominion over this region, and when we do, Galactic will be known forevermore!"_

**…**

**Yeah… sorry, guys. No backstory this chapter… but some foreshadowing.**

**Backstory WILL be next chapter; I promise you that. **

**…**

**So, how did you guys like it? I hope you enjoyed the final battle sequence.**

**Also, YOU can decide what I write next via the poll on my profile page… I have all my stories, plus a few others. I will write them in the order that gets the most votes. So, if possible, vote.**

**…**

**Thank you all! Hope you enjoyed this installment of "Mystery of the PokeMan!" **

**Until next time, be sure to Carpe some Diem! This is Emerald Dynamo, signing off… for now.**


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